Automatic stoking-indicator mechanism.



.No. 897,280. PATENTED. SEPT. 1, 1908.

R. FORSYTHK; W. W. HANSOOM. 1

AUTOMATIC STOKING INDICATOR MECHANISM.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1904:.

v 3 SHEETSSHEET l.

E. ""l 'l Wm 'il PATENTE D SEPT. 1, 1908.

R. FORSYTH (K; W. W. HANSOOM. AUTOMATIC STOKING INDICATOR MECHANISM.

' APPLI GATION FILED $EPT1 15, 1904.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

No. 897,280. 7 PATENTED SEPT. 1, 1908. R. FORSYTH & HANSOOM.- AUTOMATIC SITOKING INDICATOR MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1904.

v 3'SHEBTSSHEET 3 UNTTED hiTATFfi PATENT @FFFUE.

ROBERT FORSYTH AND WILLIAM W. HANSOOM, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1, 1908.

I Application filed September 15, 1904. Serial No. 224,571.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT FonsY'ri-r and WILLIAM WV. HANsooM, citizens of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Stoking-Indicator Mechanism; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The present invention relates to means for automatically operating signals or indicators located in one or more furnace rooms adjacent to thefurnaces of the boiler or boilers, the object of theinvention'being first, to notify the person or persons having charge of the furnaces at the exact time at which to supply fresh coal to any furnace under his .charge, in order that accuracy and uniformity in the stoking of the furnaces may be accomplished, the time interval between successive signals being readily adjustable to suit existing conditions, and secondly, to furnish means whereby the engineer having charge of the operation of an engine, can so control the times of firing or stoking the furnaces of the boiler or boilers as to insure a supply of steam adequate to the demands.

The invention while adapted for use in connection withfurnaces generally, is mainly designed for 'use on steam-vessels, wherein the maximum efficiency of the coal being consumed is obtained by a system of uniforinity in the stoking of the furnaces of the boilers, resulting in economic running of the vessel and theproduction of steamin pro. portionto the work required of the engines.

To comprehend the invention reference should be had to the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view showing the motor,

' contacts, gearing and supporting base assembled, which parts are generally located within the engine room, the distant indicator or indicators situated within the furnace room or rooms, together with the connections therewith being removed; Fig.2 is a front view in elevation of the parts disclosed by- Fig. 1 of the drawings, viewed in the d-irec-' tion of the arrowy;- Fig. 3is a similar view disclosing the insulated base plate, the contacts thereon, the contact brushes andthe brush holders, the drive gearing being removed and the motor being partly broken; Fig. 4 is an irregular sectional'side v'iew in elevation taken on line w-a: Fig. 1 of the drawings, and viewed in the direction of the arrow w,-said view disclosing the insulated base plate, the contacts, the brushes in contact therewith, the worm and the worm gears for driving the shaft carrying the brushes, and the connection withthe said contacts; Fig. 5 is a front view of the illuminating dial indicator to be located within a furnace room, said dial indicator being partly broken away for theshowing of one of the lamp compartments; Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the illuminating dial'indicator, taken on line o-'v of Fig. 5 of the drawings;'Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view disclosing the connections between the motor, the contacts, the indicators and signal bells; Fig. 8 is a plan view ofa single furnace room having four or two pair of boilers therein and a single indicator for the eight furnaces arranged four under each boiler and Fig. 9 is a similar view disclosing a series of furnace rooms separated by a bulkhead or partition wall, in which case an indicator is situated in each furnace room and so connected as to 0 crate either simultaneously or successively at regular iritervals.

' In thedrawings the letter A is used to designate the motor of the transmitter, having upon the extension of its armature shaft B,

the worm C. This worm C meshes with the worm wheel D, which worm wheel is mounted upon one end of the cross shaf t E, mounted in bearings a'a. Said cross shaft E carries, in addition to the worm wheel D, a worm F, which meshes with the worm wheel G, fastened on the shaft I), supported at one end by bearing 01, secured to the base-plate K, and at its opposite end by a bearing b secured within an insulating base H, which base is supported by the bracket I, up-

wardly extending from the base plate K.

The shaft. 1), which is arranged parallel to the eXtensionof the armature shaft B, has attached thereto an arm ll, to which arm two brush holders L, L are-fastened." Into the brush holders the brushes M, M are clamped, the brush M making continuous contact with the contact ring N, secured to the insulating base H, while the brush M intermittently makes contact with the series of segment.

contacts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, also secured to the insulating base H, Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. The number of contact pieces, which are located an equi distance apart, may be increased or decreased at will, as hereinafter fully egrplained and the arrange- 7, and S are connected to different numbers of an indicz'ttor, located within a furnace room, which numbers correspond with the several doors of the furnaces located beneath the boilers 0, each number of the indicator representing a given door of the furnaces. In the present case, the indicator comprises a dial t), situated in the furnace room which dial is divided into a series of numbered compartments, the numbers ranging from 1 to S, to correspond with the number of contact segments. The contact segments 1, 2, 3, 4", 5, (3, 7, and S are connected respectively with the compartments 2, I), 4, 5, (i, 7 and 8, by means of the leads or lead wires t), 10, 11, 12, l3, i4, 15 and 16, Fig. 7 of the drawings, so that when the brush M makes contact witheither of the contact segments, the number of the compartment of the indicator corresponding thereto is at once.displayed in thefurnace room in order to indicate to the man having chargeof the fut-mice door designated thereby that it is time to supply fuel to such furnace.

The numbered compartments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, (3, 7 and 8, ofthe indicatm', designates respectively furnace doors 1", 2*, 3", 4, 5, 6, 7 a' nd 8, of the furnaces so that when indicator #1 is displayed or brought into view within the furnace room, it designates that the furnaces of door 1 require fuel,

T/Vhere more than one furnace room is present, as is the case illustrated by Fig. 9 of the drawings, where two furnace rooms N and N are disclosed, separated by a. bulkhead or partition wall P, two indicators are employed, one for the furnaces of each pair posed to View a short interval, any desired peTiO- l, prior to the exposure of such numeral of the indicator in the companion furnace room. It is thus obvious that the number other than the one to be displayed.

of furnace rooms is not limited to one or two, but any number of such rooms may be utilizcd in the system. Thus the,conta.ct segments on the insulating base U, will vary in number as required," and it is intended that such contact segments shall equal the number of furnaces in any one lire room or in ('llttlg'tkUl' one man, for the number of furnaces in each lire room are equal and the number of furnaces under the charge of any one man is the same in the respective furnace room.

By Fig. 8 of the drawings, the maximum number of furnaces usually provided for any one furnace room is disclosed, although any series of furnace rooms may be employed. The essential requirement is that the corresponding numbered furnaces of any one fur nace room, shall be indicated or designated at approximately the same time for stoking. The designation for the stoking of furnaces in a series of furnace rooms may be done simultaneously or successively at regular intervals.

The inotor A, gearing, bearings, contacts and binding posts (,3, are all mounted on the common base K, so that they will always oecupy their respectivepositions in relation to oneanother, which base is preferably situated in the engine room, in order that the regulating of the motor as to speed. may be at all times under the control of the engineer or a man specially appointed to look thereafter. I

The indicator preferably consists of a case R, mounted on a wall bracket or suitable support lt. This case is subdivided by an insulating plate S, into two compartments S, 5*. lln the compartment S is located an alarm or signal bell T, while in the compartment S is arranged a series of cylindrical casings T. There is a casing T for each number compartment of the indicator, and in each of the casings T placed an electric lamp l \t'ith these lamps connect respectively the beforementioned leads or lead wires 9, 1t), 11, l3, l5), l-.l, l5 and 16, which connect at their opposite ends res 'iectively with the contactsegments 1, 2, 3, t, 5, 6, 7 and S.

Each lamp inclosing casing is closed by a glass, transparent or other suitable covering 'lhebbject of inclosing the lamps U within individual casings T, is to prevent the illumination fromfone lamp interfering with or illuminating any number of the dial While any suitable form of indicator for annunciat- .ing the number desired may be employed, it

is preferred to utilize an electric lamp display indicator, acting in conjunction with an alarm signal for attracting or directing attention to the indicator when a display is made.

The time during which the lamps U remain illuminated depends upon the length Ill) of the contact segments and the speed at wl. oh the arm L is revolved, by the rotation ofr e shaft 5,-which is always a certain proport n of the time between successive 1llu' mina ions or signals. Inasmuch as the speed of the motor A, which im arts motion to the shaft 1), is always under t e control of the person havingcharge thereof, it will be apparent that the periods and duration ofi1 umination is capable of regulation proportionate to the working requirements of the furnaces.

The motor A-is of any suitable type, preferably shunt wound direct current and is so 4 designed as to have a range of speed of four or more to one, by what is known as shunt field regulation.

The adjustment of thetime intervals between indications may be made byany suit:

able mechanical speed changer, introduced between the motor and the contact arm shaft I), as well as by shunt field regulation, in

which case the motorwill be run at a constant speed, or the adjustment may be made by a combination of the two, in case it is declosed by Fig; 7 of the drawings, in which the shunt wound motor A, with its field rheostat A, is shown connected to the two line wires 17, 18. The line wire 17 is continued on or branched and connected to the contact ring f N, so that as-the brush M successively makes contact with the contact segments 1, 2 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, the current is allowed to flow respectively through the leads orlead wire 9, 1o, 11, 12,13, 14, 15 and 16 to the lamps U, in the'indicator or indicators, back through the common return wire- 19, through the coils of the relay 20, thence to the negative line wire 18, thus completing the lamp circuits successively.- The relay 20, is thus actuatedevery time a lamp circuit is closed,

so that when its armature-21 is attracted toward the contact 22 of the auxiliary bell circuit 23, it closes .the said bell" circuit to actuate the hammer 24 for the striking of the signal bell or bells T, to direct the attention of those having charge of the furnaces.

Any or all of the lamp circuits can be switched out of each indicator by meansof the switches 25, shown immediately beneath the lamp in Fig. 7 of the drawings. The indicators may be connected in multiple and any number thereof thus operated simultaneously, the bells, however, being connected in series and operated by a current whose more especiallywar vessels.

strength is readily adjusted by the resistance 26 shown in the diagram. I

The foregoing invention will be found of value in connection withsteam going vessels, Itsv simplicity of construction, reliability, automatic and positive character of action, the ease with which it is understood by those having the same and being governed by its operations,- its i'nexpensiveness as to installation and the minimum space occupied thereby when installed, are points whlch will readily a peal to constructors of steam vessels generafly.

Having thus described the invention, what is'claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent, is

1; In a device of the character described,

the combination of a sup orting base, an insulating disk mounted t ereon, a series of contactsegments arranged equi-distant apart and concentrically mounted upon the surface of said disk, signaling devices connected with said contacts, a concentric ring contact on.

said disk surface arranged within said segment contacts and spaced therefrom, a rotary shaft having a bearing at one end in said insulating disk/and an auxiliary bearing at 7 its opposite endfa bracket on said shaft intermediate said bearings, and connected brushesmouritedon said bracket and eX- tending into contact with the surface of the disk whereby they connect with said contacts and operate the signaling devices.

2. In a device of the character described, an indicator comprising a casing having a plurality of separated compartments, designating instrumentalities' for each compartment, a sounding signal, and electrical means for automatically successively illuminating each compartment and simultaneously setting into operation said sounding signal, said' means comprising a motor, an armature shaft rotated thereby, a cross shaft, a worm on the armature shaft, an intermeshing worm wheel on the cross shaft and a spaced worm also mounted thereon, an auxiliary shaft, a worm wheel .thereon arranged to mesh with said last mentioned worm, an insulated plate carrying a series of spaced segment contacts concentrically arranged about and separated from a continuous contacting strip and having connection with t e insulated partition plate, and brushes on t e auxiliary shaft cooperating with said contacts.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands. 4 e

ROBERT FORSYTH. WILLIAM W. HANSCOM.

Witnesses N. A. AOKER, WALTER F. VANE. 

